This invention relates to shelving systems and components therefore, and in one particular aspect, to an easily assembled and installed shelving system that may be customized suit a user's particular needs.
It is often desirable or even necessary to provide shelving for storage and/or display of items in various places such as a closet, a storage room, a workroom, a utility room, an office, a garage, or a retail store. Many different types of shelving systems are known in the art, including various metal, wood or plastic systems that may be shipped and/or sold to the user in an unassembled state and subsequently assembled and installed by the user in a desired location.
For example, one prior art metal shelving unit consists of a number of metal shelves and four elongated, vertical corner pieces. Such units are sold in pieces, and require the user to attach the corners of the metal shelves to the corner pieces by a nut and bolt assembly or the like. This type of shelving system requires a large number of individual pieces and various tools for assembly. Also, assembly configurations are limited in this type of a system, and thus there is limited opportunity for the user to customize the system to meet his or her needs.
Other prior art shelving systems include modular shelving systems constructed in a number of pieces from a material such as wood and/or metal. The separate pieces of the system are designed to be mounted together using hardware such as screws, latches and/or nut and bolt assemblies. Again, this type of shelving system requires a large number of pieces and various tools for assembly. In addition, such systems are often difficult, time consuming and confusing to assemble, leading to frustration and wasted time on the part of the user. Further, once assembled, such systems are difficult and time consuming to disassemble and modify, which may be required as the needs of the user change.
Still another type of prior art shelving system often utilized in closets consists of a number of shelves made of a plurality of welded, coated wires. The shelves are typically mounted to a wall by the user using screws and the like, often making installation difficult and time consuming, particularly to a user who may not be particularly handy. Such systems, while lightweight, do not present a sturdy appearance due to the gaps that exist between the wire supports. In addition, items that are smaller than the gaps between the small, one-eighth inch diameter wire supports may not be stored with this type of system as those items will fall through the gaps.
There is therefore a need for a shelving system that is quick and easy to assemble and disassemble with very limited or no use of separate tools. There is further a need for such a shelving system that may be customized by a user to meet certain needs, that is attractive, and that may be easily and readily reconfigured and adjusted as needs change.